This is a lesson about using light to identify the composition of an object. Learners will use a spectrograph to gather data about light sources. Using the data they’ve collected, students are able to make comparisons between different light...(View More) sources and make conjectures about the composition of a mystery light source. The activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System.(View Less)

This is a lesson about determining planetary composition. Learners will use a reflectometer to determine which minerals are present (from a set of knowns) in a sample of Mars soil simulant. Requires the use of ALTA II spectrometers (which may be...(View More) borrowed from the Lunar and Planetary Institute or purchased online) and Mars soil simulant. The activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System.(View Less)

This is a lesson about emission spectra. Learners will look at various light sources (including glow sticks and christmas lights) and make conjectures about their composition. The activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering...(View More) program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System.(View Less)

This is an activity about magnetic induction. Learners will induce a flow of electricity in a wire using a moving bar magnet and measure this flow using a galvanometer, or Am meter. Through discussion, this activity can then be related to magnetic...(View More) fields in nature. This activity requires use of a galvanometer, bar or cow magnet, and wire. This is the fifth lesson in the second session of the Exploring Magnetism teacher guide.(View Less)

This is a design challenge about heat transfer and insulation. Learners will apply the scientific method to design and build a container that will keep items cool when placed in boiling water. They will practice collaboration in team-building and in...(View More) teamwork. This is lesson 4 of 4 at the Grade 9-12 range of the module, Staying Cool.(View Less)

This is a lesson about infrared radiation. Learners will investigate invisible forms of light as they conduct William Herschel’s experiment and subsequent discovery of infrared radiation. They will construct a device to measure the presence of...(View More) infrared radiation in sunlight, explain that visible light is only part of the electromagnetic spectrum of radiation emitted by the Sun, follow the path taken by Herschel through scientific discovery, explain why we would want to use infrared radiation to study Mercury and other planets, and explain how excess infrared radiation is a concern for the MESSENGER mission. This is activity 1 of 4 at the Grade 5-8 band of "Staying Cool."(View Less)

This is an activity involving scientific inquiry. Using a constructed Mystery Light Box, learners will observe what is in the box without removing the object from the box, shining a light into the box, or reaching hands into the box, and they will...(View More) draw what they see. Next, they will brainstorm questions they would like answered about the light source in the Mystery Light Box and propose methods for obtaining information about the mystery object without being able to handle it or get close to it. This activity requires construction of the Mystery Box prior to doing the lesson. This activity is from the Stanford Solar Center's All About the Sun: Sun and Stars activity guide for Grades 5-8 and can also accompany the Stanford Solar Center's Build Your Own Spectroscope activity.(View Less)

In this activity, students perform a version of the experiment of 1801, in which ultraviolet light was first discovered by Johann Wilhelm Ritter. This experiment should be conducted outdoors on a sunny day - variable cloud conditions, such as patchy...(View More) cumulus clouds or heavy haze will diminish your results. This activity requires advance preparation and special materials (e.g., glass prism, blueprint paper, household ammonia).(View Less)